Buy Oregon '08 Pinot Noir Southeast Block Online | Bethel Heights

'08 Pinot Noir Southeast Block

The Southeast Block is a six-acre section of the Bethel Heights estate vineyard that consistently gives us wines of distinctive character. It was planted in 1979 on a southfacing slope between 420 and 520 feet elevation. The red clay soil is volcanic in origin, three feet deep and well drained. The vines are 100% Pommard clone, planted on their own roots in Oregon's pre-phylloxera days. At 30 years old the vines are still healthy and apparently phylloxera-free. The crop is rigorously thinned for optimum quality.

Harvest date: October 16, 2008
Grapes at harvest:
Brix: 23.2, pH: 3.37, TA: 7.2 gr/liter
Finished wine: Alcohol 13.2%, pH: 3.58, TA: 5.8 gr/liter
Barrel aged 15 months in French oak, 50% new
220 Cases produced, Bottled in January, 2010

The 2008 Vintage
2008 was a cool, classic vintage that kept us on our toes from beginning to end. A very cool spring led to a late budbreak as the vines struggled their way out of dormancy. Then, a very unusual heat event in May really got the vines rolling. Bloom came late in June, when a 102 degree day pushed all of the vines into full bloom, seemingly on the same day. Realizing that we were in for a cliff-hanger because of the late bloom, we ruthlessly thinned our vines in August. The rest of the vintage was magical, with an endless stream of sunny days stretching into late October.

2008 is a classic showcase of what Oregon wines can be under ideal conditions – wines with moderate alcohols and balancing acidity for ageabilty, yet with fruit concentration to please those who enjoy their wines young, or within the decade.